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Going back to work, Please Help

Going back to work part time and need some help getting our LO to take the bottle. He was born on time, but by emergency c-section. Spent a week in NICU. Took some time to latch at first but we got it, and I have been EBF since he was born.

He is now 8 weeks old and I have to go back to work in a week. It will be 2 nights a week, and my husband will care of him, while I am at work. We have been trying to get him to take a bottle but to no avail. He won't take a pacifier either, and gets upset when we try a bottle filled with breast milk. I've been pumping and have a good supply, but no way to get give it to him

We need help trying to find a good nipple for him to bottle feed. We've tried the latex slow flow and "Tomme Tippee" Neither work. We've tried at night, during the day, when he is sleepy, wide awake, not very hungry, starving. Doesn't matter, he just gets very upset and doesn't know what is going on.

Anyone else have this problem? What are good nipples or bottles? Do we just keep trying, what works? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Re: Going back to work, Please Help

Are you there when the bottle is offered? Neither of my DS's would take a bottle when I'm around.

Babies are different. My first son would take milk any temperature, but liked a particular bottle. My second wants it warm, but doesn't care what bottle it's in. I've heard some babies don't like silicone nipples, so maybe try a latex one? Will he suck on your finger? Sometimes sucking on a finger to calm them and then swapping out to the bottle can work.

I know it's very very very difficult advice to take, but most babies get the hang of it. A lot of time, all it takes is patience and creativity (my older son didn't like taking a bottle being held like he was breast feeding. My DH figured out that if he held him looking out at the world, sitting up on his lap, he was willing to take it. I'm not sure I'd have figured it out if I was around.

I would keep trying, and keep reminding myself that the baby won't starve to death. Sometimes, cup feeding of syringe feeding works, if you run out of all possibilities with bottle feeding. Also, remember that some babies sleep through the night at this age, and physiologically the baby can go several hours without a feed. This may mean that the baby reverse cycles and wants to chow while you are around, but as long as you don't limit access to the breast, he'll be fine. My 4 month old isn't a huge fan of the bottle -- will take enough but not a "typical amount" during the day, and feeds frequently through the evening and night. It's making me tired, but it's working for us.

I know it is so hard to go back to work, and there are so many worries, and being able to provide nutrition for your baby while you are gone is so huge. But please keep the faith. You will work it out.

Re: Going back to work, Please Help

Lots of people have this problem. Usually it is solved in a matter of a few days or even just a few hours once mom returns to work (if not before.) However, it can certainly lead to lots of stress for everyone in the meantime!

1st I suggest, try not to worry. Your baby absolutely will not starve. If it comes to that, there are other methods to feed a baby aside from bottles, so if baby truly will not take a bottle, then there is always that-cup feeding is probably your best bet in that case and it truly does work.

But to get baby taking a bottle, I am sure lots of folks here will have good suggestions.

But first I suggest reading this, about paced bottle feeding/cue feeding with a bottle. http://www.llli.org/docs/00000000000...fyour_milk.pdf This technique can really help a baby feel more comfortable with bottle feeding. It lets baby control the feeding, how long it takes, how much he takes in, the rate of flow, etc. This is what your baby does naturally at the breast but when bottles are given in the 'typical' fashion it can cause baby to get upset because the milk comes too fast, or, wiht some of the new nursing systems, they cannot figure out how to get the milk out.

With this technique, you can use any regular (I suggest, small) bottle and any regular low flow nipple.

Re: Going back to work, Please Help

I am so sorry you are going through this. I also started a few weeks back and my baby refused every bottle we gave irrespective of nipple teats. It was most certainly a very stressful time.

Are you giving formula? or ebm?

We only foun
d the solution to my problem after i tasted my stored ebm. my entire freezer stash had this awful after taste- no wonder my LO didn't want it. It had something to do with high lactase enzyme? so now i flash heat my newly expressed bm and then store it....LO now takes it from any bottle we give :-)